Recommendations & Conclusions
5 items
6
Recommendation
First Report: The impact of Covid-19 on…
Accepted in Part
The Government’s work to ensure premises are safe for workers during the pandemic is welcome. As an at-risk group, there is more that can be done to ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities for the safety of pregnant women in the workplace, including the need for them to …
Government response. The government states that clear guidance for employers on their obligations to pregnant women, including the right to suspension on full pay if they cannot work safely, has been published by the HSE. However, it does not commit to extending …
8
Recommendation
First Report: The impact of Covid-19 on…
Accepted in Part
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme uses three years of tax returns to assess the average income of claimants. Claimants who have undertaken periods of parental leave in these years, will not receive support at a level representative of their usual earnings. We recommend that the Government amend the terms of …
Government response. The government has amended the SEISS scheme to make previously ineligible self-employed parents, whose 2018/19 tax returns were affected by new childcare, eligible for the scheme. However, it clarifies that the grant calculation for those already eligible is unaffected.
20
Recommendation
First Report: The impact of Covid-19 on…
Accepted in Part
We have heard about systemic problems in the funding of childcare before the pandemic. Just before the outbreak, we debated a petition which expressed concerns about how many parents struggled to afford childcare. Covid-19 has put a huge strain on the childcare sector at the same time as highlighting how …
Government response. The government addresses the short-term funding aspect by highlighting ongoing work, existing support schemes (CJRS, SEISS), continued funding for free childcare hours, and a commitment to fund local authorities at pre-pandemic levels for the autumn term. However, the response does …
21
Recommendation
First Report: The impact of Covid-19 on…
Accepted in Part
The current crisis has put new parents, particularly mothers, at increased risk of redundancy and hardship. New and expectant mothers are already a group who are vulnerable to discrimination, and the Government needs to ensure that the current crisis doesn’t widen this discrimination and inequality further. We recommend that the …
Government response. The government commits to extending redundancy protections to women returning from maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, and from the point of informing an employer of pregnancy, but states this will be introduced through legislation 'as soon as parliamentary time …
3
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of Covid-19 …
Accepted in Part
Students have a right to seek a refund or to repeat part of their course if the service provided by their university is substandard, but the exact circumstances in which students should expect to receive a refund or be able to repeat part of their course are not clear. Furthermore, …
Government response. The government agrees that circumstances for student redress are unclear and states that guidance has recently been published to aid students and providers. However, it explicitly rejects establishing a new centralised system for tuition fee refunds, citing the individualised nature …